During operation components of an industrial plant are monitored with the aid of sensors each furnishing a control and communication system of the plant with sensor data of a monitored parameter. Together with additional controlling data from controlling parameters the sensor data form a pool of monitoring data, each being assigned to a parameter, like a measured parameter, as temperature, pressure, or vibration, or a controlling parameter, like flags, command signals, or status signals, like switching status.
For monitoring components of the plant some or all sensor parameters are associated with threshold values, the sensor data exceeding or falling below such threshold value triggering a message or an alarm.